How life has changed in Southend-on-Sea

Southend-on-Sea's population increased by about 13,400 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the most notable changes among the local population.

The population passed 170,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Southend-on-Sea increased by 8.4%, from about 160,000 to 174,000.

The addition of about 13,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Southend-on-Sea was home to, on average, 30 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it Eastof England's third-most densely-populated unitary authority.

Population density was higher than the average across Eastof England

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Eastof England, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Southend-on-Sea

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Southend-on-Sea increased by one year, from 39 to 40 years.

This area had a slightly higher average age than Eastof England and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just under 5,400 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by about 700.

About 15.0% of people in Southend-on-Sea are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Southend-on-Sea by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Southend-on-Sea, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 8.7% to 11.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in three (32.7%) households had only one person, compared with 35.2% in 2001. The percentage of households in Southend-on-Sea which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 31.6% to 30.1%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased faster here than the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 8.8% in 2001 to 10.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Southend-on-Sea increased by 2.5 percentage points

Percentage of households in Southend-on-Sea, Eastof England and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Southend-on-Sea

Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation in Southend-on-Sea, the largest percentage point increase was among those who said they had no religion, rising 13.7 points between 2001 and 2011. The census question about religion is voluntary, so varying response rates mean caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

In 2011, 34.3% of respondents in Southend-on-Sea said they had no religion, up from 20.6% in 2001.

Across Eastof England, the percentage of respondents who described themselves as having no religion increased from 18.2% to 30.0%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Around 60.4% of respondents in Southend-on-Sea said they were Christian, down from 74.9% in 2001. About 2.1% said they were Muslim, up from 1.3% a decade prior.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population that said they had no religion in Southend-on-Sea increased by 14 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, East and Southend-on-Sea by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Southend-on-Sea

The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 7.0% to 6.6% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.6%) reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 2.9% in 2001. The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 89.8%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 6.9% in 2001 to 6.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Southend-on-Sea that rented privately increased from 14.3% to 22.0% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage that lived in social housing remained close to 11.7%, while the percentage of Southend-on-Sea households that owned their home decreased from 72.5% to 65.2%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased faster here than the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 8.6% in 2001 to 14.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 16.9%.

Private renting in Southend-on-Sea increased by 7.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Southend-on-Sea, Eastof England and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Southend-on-Sea

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased in Southend-on-Sea at a faster rate than in Castle Point (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Southend-on-Sea).

In Southend-on-Sea, the proportion of single people increased from 29.0% in 2001 to 34.4% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Castle Point increased from 24.1% to 27.4%.

Across Eastof England, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 27.4% to 31.4%.

The proportion of married people in Southend-on-Sea fell from 48.1% to 44.0%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 12.8% to 13.9%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.3% to 5.7% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (80.2%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 66.9% in 2001. The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23.8% to 14.1%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 7.6% in 2001 to 4.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Southend-on-Sea decreased by 3.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Southend-on-Sea, Eastof England and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households without children fell in Southend-on-Sea, while rising in nearby Castle Point.

In Southend-on-Sea, the proportion came down from 64.0% in 2001 to 62.2% in 2011, while across England it went up from 58.8% to 59.9%. During the same period, the regional proportion remained close to 60.8%.

The proportion of households with children in Southend-on-Sea increased from 27.6% to 28.5%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents increased from 8.4% to 9.3%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across Eastof England

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Southend-on-Sea

In 2011, 3.7% of Southend-on-Sea residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from 2.2% in 2001. The 1.5 percentage point change was the largest increase among ethnic groups in this area.

Across Eastof England, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 2.8% to 5.0%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 91.6% of people in Southend-on-Sea said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 95.8% in 2001. About 2.1% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 1.1% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.7% to 2.1%.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Southend-on-Sea increased by 1.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Southend-on-Sea by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents that were unemployed increased from 3.7% to 5.0% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (52.7%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 52.1% in 2001. The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents that were self-employed increased from 8.9% to 10.2%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 2.6% in 2001 to 3.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Southend-on-Sea increased by 1.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Southend-on-Sea, Eastof England and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Southend-on-Sea working less than 16 hours increased from 1.9% to 3.1% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in nine (10.6%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 13.8% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 1.9% in 2001 to 2.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Southend-on-Sea increased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Southend-on-Sea, Eastof England and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Southend-on-Sea residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.0% to 2.4% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 0.9%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 1.8% in 2001 to 2.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Southend-on-Sea remained close to 2.4%

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Southend-on-Sea by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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